A record 950,000 tickets were allocated in the September general sale for next year's Rugby World Cup in England.
The number of applications from Ireland, as a single country entity, is reputed to have been exceeded only by those in Britain. The match that generated the biggest interest in terms of ticket applications was the pool stage clash between England and Australia, with 650,000 applying.
More than 500,000 people applied for a ticket for the 2015 World Cup final, while in the case of 23 of the 48 matches in the tournament they went to ballot in every price category; a figure that rose to all 48 games at the entry price level.
Demand was highest for England v Australia, England v Wales, New Zealand v Argentina and Australia v Wales in the pool stages, and for both semi-finals and the final.
The tickets went on sale from September 12-29th, and ballots were run earlier this week for matches where the demand for tickets exceeded supply. Those who applied for tickets will be notified tomorrow if they have been successful with payment taken from credit cards on Monday.
Rugby fans who did not receive tickets in the ballots will receive priority when tickets go back on sale by the end of November. Full details of the November sale, including the dates, will be announced soon.
In addition to the 950,000 tickets sold in the September sale, 340,000 tickets were sold by England Rugby 2015 to rugby fans through rugby clubs in England and Wales as part of the rugby community programme, while the overall sales figure will increase through the November sale.
Tickets are still available via the official travel and hospitality programmes, with official supporter tour package sales now at more than 160,000 and on track to break the 184,000 record levels achieved for France 2007.
International Rugby Board chairman Bernard Lapasset added: “We are delighted with the incredible demand for tickets across the tournament from fans in the UK and around the world.”
Official hospitality for the tournament is also moving along at record pace, with all boxes sold out at Twickenham, Exeter’s Sandy Park and the Falmer Stadium in Brighton.
